Queen Requires Wind-Up Merchant to Look After Her Collection of Clocks

The effects of the recession clearly haven't yet impacted on the household of the nation's official grandmother, with Buckingham Palace looking for someone to work as the Royal Horological Conservator -- managing the royal estate's collection of clocks.

The job, which carries a tidy salary of £31,200, requires the successful clock specialist to travel across the country maintaining the royal timepieces, covering everything from Prince Philip's trusty Boer War pocket-watch to whatever gaudy G-SHOCK model Prince Harry currently favours.

A Buckingham Palace FAQ suggests the royals have two full-time "horological conservators" on the payroll at any one time, whose job is literally to wind the 350+ royal clocks up every week and make sure they all work. [The Mirror]